Cyberbullying can have lasting effects

As USI students geared up to go back to school, the USI Confessions Facebook page started up, too.

USI Confessions encourages students to submit “confessions” anonymously through a Google Doc.

What started out as being an innocent and sweet way for people to announce their crushes turned into an easy way to cyber bully others.

Some confessions call out people for being “fat” or “ugly.” Some call those who live in Evansville “trash” compared to those who live in Newburgh, and the worst types of confessions ooze misogyny and racism.

The page is basically a hub for anonymous cyber bullying, and it has to go.

As a journalism major, I support free speech, but I understand that there is a fine line between free speech and hate speech.

According to bullyingstatistics.org, more than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyber bullying, and while it may seem innocent to the perpetrators, it can have severe effects on people.

Those who experience cyber bullying are more likely to use alcohol and drugs, skip school, receive poor grades, have lower self-esteem and possibly experience health problems.

So, please, the next time you consider posting something on Facebook on pages like USI Confessions, consider how it can affect someone.